


no place i'd rather be than by your side

by rosesforkl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, One Shot, Romance, Time Skips, allura (mentioned) - Freeform, broganes, slight hints of depression, war/apocalypse sort of thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 12:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12168507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesforkl/pseuds/rosesforkl
Summary: Not good at summaries, just be prepared for two boys trying to make the best out of what they have





	no place i'd rather be than by your side

**Author's Note:**

> My idea for this one shot was way different than what the result was. But I'm quite happy with the result, so please enjoy!

It felt like the apocalypse.

At least that's what Keith thought.

I mean,  _how could it feel like anything else_? People were dying here and there. All you heard nowadays were screams, gunshots, airplanes, bombs, running, yelling, crying, begging and storms. If they were lucky, all they heard was running and yelling.

It had started when Europe decided to bring their war onto American soil.

It was widely known that England and France were back at it with their bickering, that was nothing knew. But no one had expected to know that the  _Russians and Germans_  were having trouble with each other. No one knows exactly who pulled the trigger first, but before the continent could prepare itself, the countries were at war. It only spread through Europe when Germany persuaded its allies to join them. Russia got a few of its allies, but the Americans had decided that they couldn't deal with war right now.

Two years into the war was when the Italians decided that they'd test their bombs on the Americans. No one took count of how many were dropped, but the bombs took thousands, if not  _millions_ , of lives.

By now, another two years had passed.

 

* * *

 

Keith sat in the dark room, awaiting death; it could come at any moment and he had to be prepared.

His room was small, barely suitable for two people. All that was in there was a closet, a dresser, a small bed for one, and a shelf full of board games and puzzles and stuffed animals. The light in his room hung in the middle of his ceiling, along with the ceiling fan. There was a 1000 piece dog puzzle sprawled on the floor, and a notebook and pen next to the box.

Keith himself sat in the very corner of his bed. By now, he stopped complaining about how his bed was in the corner of the room. By now, he very much appreciated having something to lean back on. It made him feel safer knowing that someone would have to attack from the front rather than the back. But even so, Keith was able to handle himself just fine (or at least he hoped so).

In one arm, he hugged a pink stuffed hippo. He never really liked this one. Not because it was a "girly" color, but simply because of the color's new given meaning. His friend, Allura, had given it to him for his birthday. It was his first birthday after the passing of his mother. She was quiet when she held it out for him, as if she was afraid that he'd hate it.

 

* * *

 

_"Thanks, Allura, but pink isn't really my color." Even so, Keith held the hippo in his hands, smiling widely. His eyes met hers, and he felt that something was off._

_"Keith, you know how my dad and I love to give new meanings to things?" Allura began. Keith nodded, his smile slowly fading. "Pink is now the color to honor those who have fallen."_

_"Oh." Was all Keith had said. He stared at the plush. With unexpected tears, he hugged Allura, silently thanking her._

 

* * *

 

 _In honor of you, Allura._ Keith wiped the fresh tears that began falling from his eyes. Tears from Keith were rare, but when he was by himself, they're all he's ever known.

There was a quiet knock at the door.

Keith sighed, standing from the bed. He went over and placed the hippo on the shelf, in its place next to the penguin plush. He waited a moment to see if the person had gone, but the silence was only followed by another knock.

"Keith, if you're up for it, Shiro and Matt might let us go through the bags they brought back." Although the voice was low, Keith was able to tell that it was Lance on the other side.

He waited another moment. He thought he had heard the boy sigh, but it was forgotten about when the boy's footsteps told Keith that he had left.

He thought about staying in his room. But of course, rummaging through those bags full of stolen goods were the best part of the week. They contained as many things as Shiro and Matt could carry, and those boys were able to carry  _a lot_. So he went on the join the others. When he made it to the living room, he only saw Lance, Katie and Matt.

Matt had his head in his hands. Katie leaned against her brother, her arm around his waist. Lance sat on the ground in front of the table. He played with a toy truck, slowly moving it on the table's surface.

"Guys?" Keith spoke, voice barely above a whisper. He walked closer to Matt, putting his hand on the older boy's shoulder. He glanced around the room, even going as far as going into the kitchen then coming back. "Where's Shiro?"

" _I don't know_ ," Matt whispered. His voice was harsh, but it didn't seem to be directed at Keith.

His face fell. "What do you mean you  _don't_ know? The two of you were out together."

Matt looked up, eyes red and face stained. "We were in town when we heard a lot of horrible things. We were about to leave, too. But when I went back to meet with Shiro,  _he wasn't there_. I looked for him, but I couldn't find him."

"Then...then what are you doing here? Why aren't...why aren't you out there...! You... _we_ should be out there! Looking for Shiro!" Keith didn't mean to raise his voice.

"Keith, I  _had_  to come back. I couldn't find him anywhere and I got scared. I came back to make sure you guys were okay," Matt explained, barely able to keep himself together. " _Thank god_  you guys are fine. If Shiro was lost and something had happened to you guys, I don't know what I would've done."

Keith had new tears rolling down his face. His cheeks were hot, and his fists were balled up at his sides. With uneven breaths, Keith opened his mouth to say something. But the only thing that came out were sobs.

 

* * *

 

Once again, Keith sat on his bed, a week later. This time, he sat on the edge of the bed. He wasn't alone though. Beside him sat Lance. The two were holding hands in a comfortable silence in the dark. This time, it wasn't only dark because the lights were off, but also because it was night.

1:25 in the morning, actually.

Both boys jumped at a sudden, but distant, scream. It came from outside, probably not far from their house. At this, their grip on each other's hands tightened.

It was nights like these that Keith was really grateful for Lance. He never would've thought that he and the Cuban boy would be friends, much less something more than that. But here they were, in a small room holding hands in the dark, during war.

Some nights, they did much more than hold hands. They'd lay next to each, making a one person bed suddenly fit two people of the same size. They'd hug, some lasting longer than others. They'd whisper promises of safety and of blissful futures together. Sometimes lips would be pressed to cheeks or foreheads; sometimes they'd be pressed to each other, trying to figure it out. They probably haven't figured it out yet, but they don't mind as long as they get to feel a promise of love.

Other times, though, it would be hands instead of lips. Hands holding hands was most common. But recently they've begun exploring each other. But not  _that_ way, they are thirteen. But hands roam bodies. They search for scratches and bruises on arms, and feeling the spines of the backs. They feel for ribs and belly fat, for thighs that unwillingly become bigger when they sit. The feel for the way the other boy's body bends here and there. They feel for lips and eyes, and small noses.

All these nights shared one common thing, though. The idea that they could die at any moment. But at least they'd die sitting next to each other, holding hands. At least they had given everything they possibly could to each other. At least they would go with promises of meeting each other in their next lives, and the lives after those, and so on.

Tonight wasn't going to be full of sorrow and pity on themselves.

It was dark, though they could tell that they were facing one another. It didn't matter who went in first, but their lips touched. Their foreheads bumped and Lance was the one to pull away, giggling a bit.

That's what Keith loved about Lance. It was that Lance was able to make even war into something worthwhile. He made Keith forget that murders were happening outside, and that they could be living their last moments. He made Keith forget that he should be upset with Matt, and that staying inside was boring as hell.

Their lips came together again in a chaste kiss. But innocent kisses became desperate and when one moved away, they were quickly pulled back. Quiet nights together became full of heavy breathing and the creaking of the bed.

Keith lay on his back holding his hand to his mouth as he tried to stop his laughter from become loud. Lance sat beside Keith, biting his tongue to prevent himself from laughing. They didn't know what had been so funny; if it had been the way they were desperate, or the way that they had no idea what they were doing.

But it was at the creak of a floorboard that they froze. In whatever moonlight they were able to see each other in, they stared at one another with wide eyes. Both of their hearts were beating fast as they listened to the approaching footsteps.

Keith opened his mouth, ready to call out for Matt, and he was about to when Lance put his hand to Keith's mouth. Lance held a finger to his lips, trying to keep Keith quiet even though he himself wanted to scream. Who wouldn't? This could be the moment they never wanted to come face to face with.

The doorknob to Keith's room jiggled, turning slowly. While Lance was ready to scream, Keith was ready to faint. But they were only able to stare at the door and watch it open.

"Lance? Keith?"

The boys let out the breaths they didn't know they were holding. Their bodies were still shaking though, obviously traumatized by what had happened.

"Sh-Shiro."

"Hey." Shiro was given a weak smile by Lance, who hugged Keith. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, but I came in and heard noises so I came to check it out."

"No, no, it's  _fine_! We  _weren't_  just  _scared to death_  by the chance that we could've died!" Keith's tone was sarcastic, but he was ready to cry. Not because he was scared, but because he thought that Shiro was lost. He thought he wouldn't see his older brother again, but here he was.

"Keith, hey, I'm okay," Shiro assured. He made his to the bed, sitting at the end. Without another word, the boy was attacked by his brother.

"I hate you so much for disappearing."

 

* * *

 

You wouldn't believe me if I said that two more years have passed. But yeah, two more years have passed.

"Keith! You can't just kill a man because he tried taking the last box of Cheez-its!" Lance exclaimed.

Keith stared at the man's body that now lay on the ground. "I didn't kill him for the food, Lance. Look, he's holding a gun. He was going to kill  _us_."

Lance moved closer, taking a good look at the man. Sure enough, a gun was laying not so far from the body. "Just warn me next time before you go out there stabbing someone like that."

"I didn't think it bothered you. Considering your kink, of course," Keith teased.

"Oh shut up! Would it kill you to stop mentioning that?" Lance huffed and picked up the box of Cheez-its, putting them into the bag he was carrying.

"It would. It would kill me. Mainly because I'd have to bleed to fulfill your sexual desires." It was Keith's favorite part of the day to tease Lance. He hadn't gone a day without teasing his friend, especially about his 'kink.'

Lance only stuck out his tongue. "We should go back before it gets darker. Shiro almost killed us the last time we were late."

"We were only late because you were all over me with your kink."

" _Can you stop mentioning that_!"

 

* * *

 

"I can't believe we both still fit on here," Lance commented. He shifted closer to Keith, which only proved him that much more wrong.

"If I move my arm you're going to fall off," Keith stated. "We obviously don't fit."

Lance only hummed in reply. He was tired after the long day, but he couldn't sleep. Maybe it was because of the war. Maybe it was because of his homesickness.

But he'd never admit to being homesick. It made him feel weak and foolish, so he never mentioned it. Though he really admired Keith for not hiding the fact that he wanted to go back home. Keith didn't care about what the others had to say; if he was homesick, he was homesick case closed.

"What are you thinking about?" Keith asked.

"About how amazing life is and how I just want to go outside and watch all the happy people," Lance mumbled. Though he didn't see it, he could tell that Keith rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing to hide, Lance. If something bothering you, you can tell me," Keith insisted. Even if he wasn't that good at comforting others, he at least wanted to try.

"I mean, what's there to say? We're two fifteen year olds stuck inside of a small house with three other people. We have to live everyday like our last,  _and_ act normal until death. Nothing's bothering me."

Lance realized that he had said too much when he didn't receive anything in reply. Being with Keith was hard, mostly because he didn't know how to react to many things. The boy sighed, opening his eyes to look at his friend. "What about you, Keith? Anything wrong?"

Keith didn't want to say anything. But he couldn't stop himself from making the conversation about him. "I want my mom."

Lance watched his friend try to not break down. He wanted Keith to break down, he wanted the boy to cry his heart out and rely on Lance for comfort. Even though he didn't want Keith to be upset, he wanted to see Keith at his worst.

But I never happened. Keith kept to himself.

"Do you think this this is ever going to end?" Keith suddenly asks.

"It has to. Maybe not now, but it must at a point. There's no need to kill everyone they can get their hands on," Lance answered. He wasn't so sure of his answer, but what else could he say?

 

* * *

 

It's been days since she had seen her brother, and she was getting worried. Of course she knew that they said it would take a couple days, but she didn't like it one bit.

"Shiro was always one for disappearing, but I never expected this from you, Matt." Katie sighed, opening her eyes and staring at the wall. "Please come back. What's a thirteen year old supposed to do with two fifteen year olds?"

She forced herself out of bed. It had been a while since she got out of bed. With the cold she caught, she hasn't had the strength to do much. And Matt being the older brother he is, of course he'd want to travel to find some sort of medicine for her.

But even though she's been treating herself with care, like the others have done, her illness only worsened. Her coughs turned to fits, sounding as if she was about to puke. She sneezed a lot more; her sneezes were no longer random one sneezes, one was followed by another and so on. She had begun to get many nosebleeds as well, but they didn't last long.

And being on your period during war isn't exactly the best.

_"If she does before the end of next week, I called it."_

_"Why would you even bet on something like that?"_

Katie turned her attention to the hushed conversation being held out in the hall. Trying to be silent, she made her way over to her door. Putting her ear against the wood, she listened.

 _"This obviously isn't a cold anymore, Keith. She's going to die!"_ Lance seemed to be pretty confident in what he was saying.

_"She won't! We already lost so much. She's not going to die, not on my watch."_

_"We don't have anything to help her! Matt and Shiro are_ **_gone_ ** _! When will you realize that this is war, Keith? War is all about death, and that's the path Katie's on."_

_"That's not true... they're not gone, they're just taking longer than needed..."_

_"Keith–"_

_"I said no! They're still alive! We just need to give them more time!"_

_"Shh, if you get any louder Katie will hear you. She's sick, we don't need to make it worse by telling her that her brother's dead."_

_"He's not... Shiro's not..."_

_"Keith."_

_"Lance, I'm scared."_

_"Let's go outside for some fresh air, yeah?"_

_"Yeah..."_

They were wrong, right?

 

* * *

 

"It's weird knowing that you know how to bury someone."

"I helped bury my mom."

Lance stared at Keith with a raised eyebrow. "Definitely not weird."

"Oh shut up!" Keith playfully punched Lance.

Lance sighed. Even with the shitty lives they're living, he was having a pretty good time. He felt like the world was slowly getting better, especially due to the fact that there weren't as many murders in the area.

"What do you plan on doing after the war?" It was an odd question, but it was an important one.

"Don't exactly know. I mean, I'm only fifteen. Maybe I'll try to find my family? I could also try finding someone that could be my friend and help me until I'm stable enough." Lance didn't look at Keith, he couldn't. He didn't know what was going to happen to  _them_.

"That's cool."

It's not like anything else need to be said, right? They both knew Keith's plans, and Keith knew that Lance would obviously want to find his family. They were the most important people in his life and he just spent the past three years with four used-to-be strangers.

Four years of war, three years together.

Five people turned two.

 

* * *

 

How about we fast forward, let's say, six years.

Let's start out easy. Lance sitting on a lawn chair, staring at the sky. He had recently finished helping his niece move into his house, and was allowed time to himself. So he decided to go a place he considered special.

Special why? One, because he paid money for who he loved to be there. Two, because he got to be with the four people that he knew all those years ago.

Sighing, he stood up. He walked to the first tombstone, carefully setting down a pink hippo plush on top of it.

"Damn, it's so weird seeing pink as a color of death. But hey, Keith, it kinda suits you."

**Author's Note:**

> This actually was harder to write because I lost inspiration halfway through?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
